Nov. 6th – Oregon State – Three For the Win

Freshman CU kicker Cole Becker calmly hit a 43-yarder in the second overtime, giving Colorado a 37-34 win over Oregon State. The Buffs seemingly had the game won when OSU kicker Everett Hayes missed a potential tying field goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. Becker was given a second chance, however, hitting a 60-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into extra time. After both schools scored touchdowns in the first overtime, Hayes missed a 38-yard attempt, giving CU’s Cole Becker a chance to win the game moments later.

“What a ball game that was”, said Karl Dorrell. “You know, there’s some really good things that happened in that game. We felt that our team grew up from a week prior. I felt like the offense a couple weeks ago was starting to find themselves and that was up there in Eugene”.

Buff quarterback Brendon Lewis went 15-for-24 passing, going for 170 yards and three touchdowns, also contributing a nine-yard touchdown run in the first overtime. Running back Jarek Broussard had his first 100-yard game of the season, with 151 yards on 24 carries. Overall, the Buffs had 392 yards of total offense, while giving up 475 yards of total offense to the Beavers.

Colorado came into the game with a 2-6 record, and were double digit underdogs to 5-3 Oregon State. Still, 47,984 (96% of capacity) were on hand for Homecoming. “We have one of the best fan groups in the nation”, said cornerback Christian Gonzalez. “They’re always out no matter what. It’s just great playing at home with them and them giving us energy and all that.”

It was a game of threes, as the Buffs’ success on third downs – and in forcing three-point attempts – helped set up CU for win No. 3 on the season … The Buffs could have folded late, but didn’t … Karl Dorrell: “It was defining moment” … Was it? We’ll see …

CU v. Oregon State Storylines … November will be a telling month for the Buffs … **Video: CU Hall of Fame speeches of Chris Brown, Chris Naeole, and Mickey Pruitt** … Neill Woelk’s Keys to Victory over Oregon State … Marvin Ham ready to replace Nate Landman: “It’s my time” …

Utah mauls Stanford, 52-7 – David Shaw: “Just a terrible showing top to bottom” … Oregon State defense trying to rebound: “We just have to do a better job” … Another nail in the CU NIL coffin: Washington loads up … Arizona’s chance at win No. 1 improves …

Remember the “Gut Punch” the last time these two teams played? … Alex Fontenot set a unique school record v. Oregon … Stat to watch: CU’s third down conversions (Buffs are lousy at it; Beavers are lousy at stopping it) … Would Buff fans be as patient with Karl Dorrell if he had Jonathan Smith’s record? …

The Sam Noyer reunion game … Can the Buffs convert enough third downs (against one of the worst third down defenses in the nation) to keep the OSU rushing attack on the sidelines? … Are CU’s defensive problems actually “correctable”? …

The Buff offense was much improved against Oregon; the Buff defense not so much … With Nate Landman “doubtful”, can CU stop the No. 11 rushing offense in the nation? … With the return of La’Vontae Shenault, can CU take advantage of the No. 114 pass defense in the country? … Let’s find out …